"I love it," offensive coordinator Chad Morris said following the Tigers' opening day of spring practice Wednesday. "I'm excited for these guys. I'm excited to watch them and see how they grow. Every play means something. It all counts."

There are five quarterbacks on the roster, but the competition is expected to come down to three players of varying levels of experience – senior Cole Stoudt, sophomore Chad Kelly and freshmen Deshaun Watson.

Stoudt said it was strange taking the field Wednesday and not being alongside Boyd, the record-setting quarterback who started for the Tigers the last three seasons and is now plotting and planning a pro career.

"It was weird because Tajh has been like a brother since I've been here – he's been one of my mentors," Stoudt said. "It was kind of sad because you run out here and you're not seeing No. 10. He's who you've been with for the past three years, telling you what to do, how to be the right football player, the right citizen, everything. So it was a strange feeling."

Now Stoudt is hoping that some of Boyd's positive vibes rub off on him.

"The seniors set the standard; now it's time for us to step up and build on that standard," Stoudt said. "I'm not only pushing myself to get better, I'm pushing others to get better themselves."

Even if it is the up-and-coming young talent.

On Wednesday, Watson tried to force a pass where and when he shouldn't have, and Stoudt was the first to offer guidance.

"I just told him, 'Hey, calm down. Try not to rush everything. Read it out,' " Stoudt said. "I'm trying to make him the best player he can be, too."

Morris said that it was enjoyable simply having Watson on the field, finally. Watson had been to Clemson camps and games for years, but on Wednesday he got to be a Tiger for the first time.

"I told him just because I was nice to him while I was recruiting him, I can still coach him pretty hard," Morris said. "He was good today. It'll be fun to watch him."

At first blush, Watson would appear to be the perfect dual-threat quarterback of the future, Stoudt the classic passer of the present and Kelly the gunslinging guy who will do whatever it takes to get the job done, whenever he gets the chance.

"I feel like I can throw it," Kelly said. "People always say my accuracy might not be as good, but I didn't get here with bad throwing ability. I can run the ball, but also throw the ball. To be honest, I feel like I could have the strongest arm on the team. I'm not trying to be conceited or anything, but I feel like personally I have the strongest arm and the best accuracy."

The bottom line is that they seem to all get along, knowing that team unity can't afford to be crippled by rocky relationships.

"You don't want a quarterback room to have tension," Stoudt said. "If you have tension and that room's not working, everything isn't working. No matter who's the starter, there's going to be somebody disappointed about it. But whoever is not the starter has got to help and always be there for the starter like I was there for Tajh.

"We're all on the same page. It's going to be an exciting spring."

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney concurs.

"You can't win the job in one practice, you can't lose the job in one practice, so we've got a long way to go," Swinney said. "Everything counts – decision making, efficiency, all that type of stuff.

"There was some good and bad from everybody out there today, but we're off and running."

Posted!

2. Oregon (2013 record: 11-2). Why No. 2? Because the Ducks could have gone undefeated this season had quarterback Marcus Mariota not been slowed by a knee injury in November.
Scott Olmos, USA TODAY Sports

3. Alabama (2013 record: 11-2). Why No. 3? Because a disappointing close to 2013 could be all the motivation a still-deep Alabama roster needs to reclaim the national championship.
John Reed, USA TODAY Sports

4. Ohio State (2013 record: 12-2). Why No. 4? Because coach Urban Meyer and his staff have recruited at such a level as to offset a number of losses to graduation and the NFL.
Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports

No. 5 Auburn (2013 record: 12-2). Why No. 5? Because if Auburn was this good in 2013, next season could be special. Consider this idea: Gus Malzahn's team will be even stronger on offense due to another offseason spent working in his system.
Daniel Shirey, USA TODAY Sports

10. UCLA (2013 record: 10-3). Why No. 10? Two-way threat Myles Jack for one. But with QB Brett Hundley returning, the Bruins have a triggerman for an offense and team inches away from a major breakthrough.
Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports

21. Central Florida (2013 record: 12-1). Why No. 21? Because it's going to be tough to match this year's success without quarterback Blake Bortles, who opted for a potential spot among the top 10 in April's draft rather than returning for his senior season with the Knights
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